I also purchased veteran gamer, David Bickley's 20mm Vietnam collection this morning. It's not massive, but is tidily presented and to be honest you don't need that many models for a decent platoon level game. You can find pictures on David's blog, 'Tales From GHQ' - just google it and search under the Vietnam label on the right. TTFN

Because I've been very staid in my spending this year, I've allowed myself a little treat this morning in the form of a rather pretty 28mm Burgundian army. I would like to change the flags, but until I find some that are to my exacting aesthetic taste, I'll leave them as they are... It will of course allow me to play Late Medieval, Early Renaissance and Fantasy, so it's a win/win purchase.

It was almost a no-show, as the memsahib was decidedly ill over the last week. But, being made of stern and stoic stuff, she rallied from her sick bed and managed to deliver members of the Fackham Hall Gamers to Leeds, for the Fiasco show. Many years ago, before Triples crashed and burned ignominiously for whatever reason ( I care not nor will I make suggestions as to why) I'd mooted the idea of killing door fees at the show but was roundly disabused of this notion. Well, a few shows do it now and I have to say that it seems to work. Fiasco was a free entry event this year and you could tell. People also seemed to be spending money pretty freely. It was for me, an enjoyable show with one exception... I buy a LOT of stuff, as is blatantly apparent, and I am also very very sensitive to how I am treated when doing so. Now, you may recall that a couple of years ago, I had gone to a stand of a scenery manufacturer with a BIG wad of money to acquire a lot of terrain, but for ...

Duke Fenwyk opened his eyes... He remembered his battle with the mighty Chaos Lord, driving his sword through his foe's heart and the storm of chaotic magic this unleashed. He remembered falling, falling through the void, before everything went black. Now he lay on a plain of sintered obsidian, the sky a pulsing heaving oil pool of myriad colours, appearing to battle each other for chromatic dominance. Dark buildings of living steel thrust skyward; menacing fingers of malice wrought from god-made metals, mocking the mundane architecture of mortal man. From every corner, jutted howling demonic faces, parodies of of the beautiful marble statuary in the churches of the lands of men. Then, Fenwyk heard it; a susurration rising to a mighty roar and then words... Words crafted to score the very hearts of mortals who heard it. "Prepare for damnation puny mortal!" Fenwyk's eyes went wide with disbelief as he struggled to his feet, to face what was to come. Fro...

I have recently REALLY found my mojo with regards to the older Warhammer rules again, and having found that my spending is 4 figures lower than planned despite my best attempts this year, I threw caution to the wind and shelled out a reasonable sum for the two 'Realm Of Chaos' volumes on top of all the Chaos models I bought a couple of weeks ago. I used to be a competition gamer in historical circles until I retired 32 years ago this very month, at the tender age of 18. I used to bust a gut coming up with armies and remember when I competed in the Nationals for the last time, sitting in Rogers bedroom, crunching out a Polish army to Gush, the day was a rather wind beaten one, and Roger being used to the slight movement of the low rise flats, gently mocked my panic as I'd never experienced it before. I've always enjoyed creating armies, characters and notoriously my 'Christmas games' at the club and in my store, back when life was simpler (if more ex...

Yesterday I was informed that several large packages (previously blogged about in this parish) were delayed and would be delivered today. This was a stressful bit of news because  we were due to have our cut-de-sac resurfaced, beginning at 7AM this morning. At 4AM this morning we heard the sound of the reversing signals of a large truck outside and figured that this was the advance scouting party, and thus were prepared here at the Dark Tower to withstand the ensuing three day siege. 7AM came, then 8AM... At 9AM the first of 8 packages arrived and by 10AM the last parcel arrived unlike the work crews. It was then that the mystery of the noise in the night was revealed, when I saw that the signs warning us that were were in a war zone, had been changed to the 22nd. Obviously this was why they'd been around during the early hours. HUZZAH! And so at 10AM this morning this was the state of my kitchen: trust me, that is a lot of figures and games, all of which are now ne...

Well, as I close out 2019's gaming season I've been bitten with the Warhammer bug as well as a distinct need for some connection to my younger self on a cultural level. As you know, I bought a rather nice and somewhat substantial Chaos collection on Saturday, but yesterday, I came upon a rather large and reasonably well painted Nurgle daemonic army which I won on a well known auction site for a measly £185. I am pleased enough with the painting and will only be using a bit of gloss varnish on some chitinous carapace, and rebating them all over onto square bases as is right and proper. 1 x Daemon Prince 4 x Pox Bringer 2 x Spoilpox Scrivener 12 x Nurgling Bases 101 x Plaguebearers 9 x Plague Drones; a couple of missing hands, but I have that sorted 1 x Furculent Gnarlmaw All in all, the unpainted value is around £450 - £500 so I am quite satisfied with the deal. I also picked up both of the original Realm Of Chaos supplements for 3rd edition War...

For those who like me grew up in Glorantha, it's a sad day indeed... Chaosium write: Vale Greg Stafford (1948 - 2018) The shock and grief the Chaosium family felt at the news of the passing of our beloved and revered company founder, Greg Stafford, cannot be measured. Greg died yesterday in his sweat lodge at his home in Arcata, CA. Mercifully, his passing was painless and quick. He died as he lived, on a spiritual quest of enlightenment. As one of the greatest game designers of all time; winner of too many awards to count; and a friend, mentor, guide, and inspiration to generations of gamers, “the Grand Shaman of Gaming” influenced the universe of tabletop gaming beyond measure. Greg founded The Chaosium in 1975, and from the outset (to quote his own words) “was never content to imitate, but instead published games that were original in their style of play, content and design”. Under his leadership, the company quickly became renowned for its originality and cr...

Every so often, I can be a bit of a twat. Today my ECW figures have arrived, and I confess that the photos had made them look very bright - too bright as I commented somewhat brusquely. But grabbing two strips at random from the boxes in my dining room, they are bloody lovely. I've of course written immediately to the painter and thrown myself on his mercy and my sword. Never let it be said that I will not admit when I am wrong, and let the record publicly show that in this instance, I was.

It's rare for me to take a day away from my desk, but I awoke in the night with what I think is a trapped nerve in my neck and despite my daily swim for my arthritis, it's giving me enough pain that after sitting at my desk pottering about with this and that, I threw in the towel and instead spent the day, ordering all of my material supplies for 2019. As of 17:30 today, the only thing I've not sorted out is my brush order. I've decided to do away with all 3 of my Daylight Co lighting rigs in favour of new Daylight Co adjustable LED rigs at £145 each. I will only use the best, but having spent an entire month's gross income, I am feeling satisfied but somewhat poorer for the exercise. That said I know that I have probably the best stocked and equipped studio possible. Feeling as I do, it was something of a struggle to sit and pour over 200+ paint colours, adding them to the basket one at a time. But, I'll be back at my desk in the morning and getting on wi...